The Rise and Fall of Pat O'Brien

The sleeze of Hollywood seems like the perfect follow-up to the sleeze of Philly politics. Therefore, I direct you to check out the saga of Pat O'Brien, host of The Insider and kiss-ass extraordinaire. Much like Ziggy Stardust or Icarus, O'Brien got too high for his own good, seduced by the bright lights. It appears that the vacuous reporting took its toll on the man, as he has now checked himself into rehab. You're thinking, so what? Another person in Hollywood going to rehab? Are you going to tell us about an athlete using steroids or a politician lying? Oh, but, wait, that's not the end of the story.

No, thankfully, Pat decided to leave some evidence of the the man behind the make-up and annoying on-screen demeanor on a woman's voice mail. Unfortunately, the off-screen personality is alot worse, and now we can all squeam and retch at the real man. Defamer and Gawker have been all over this story, and will fill you on everything you need to know. Go here and here for the stories about O'Brien, rehab and phone calls. Go here to hear the voice mails, which are as cringe-worthy as anything since the last time Courtney Love was in public.

A few thoughts on the whole sordid affair. There is a lesson to be learned, as the dangers of coke-dialing and drunk-dialing could not be more crystal clear. Please, people, don't pick the cell phone up at the end of the night. [For those holding onto Pound for Pound's late-night calls, please delete ASAP. This blog is about to blow-up, and I do not need that coming out. Thanks.] It's nice to know that even overpaid shitheads have cell phones problems (5 min. mark of the phone call), as clearly T-Mobile doesn't just have it out for me. Finally, I also cannot help but notice that this man is getting women, and I am sitting here writing a blog.